Tears of an Angel
by dreamerwriter15
Summary: AU. Draco falls for Pureblood Olivia Braddock - his friend in childhood and Gryffindor's princess - during Fifth Year, but they end up on two different sides of the war. He vows to protect her from Voldemort, even at the cost of his life. When Draco is told to kill Dumbledore, he must choose whether to obey Voldemort and break his heart, or follow it. Sequels and crossover planned.
1. Prolouge

_Prologue _

_Emma Braddock adjusted the skirt of the lacy violet dress her oldest daughter Olivia wore. The five year old squirmed a bit as her mother fussed over her. "Mummy, why do I have to wear this today?" _

_Emma gazed into her daughter's vibrant green eyes as she sighed, tousling her daughter's long honey blond hair that was so much like her own. Olivia had asked this question all morning, and Emma had had to explain to her over and over again that they were meeting some friends of theirs and Olivia would meet their son for the first time, so she had to look presentable. Since Olivia was the oldest child and heir to one of the richest and oldest pure-blood families, Emma wouldn't accept anything less. _

"_I already told you Olivia, we are meeting some friends of ours this afternoon and you must look presentable." _

_When the infant twins screamed in the next room, Emma called, "Mazis!" Instantly, a long eared house elf appeared out of thin air, startling the little girl standing in the middle of her rose and violet colored room. _

"_You called, Milady?" asked the old elf in a low, wise voice. Emma nodded her head toward the door and the twins screamed again. The house elf disappeared and took care of the twin girls, leaving their mother free to tend to their sister once more. _

_A knock at the door resounded through the grand house and Emma almost panicked, her daughter had tripped while trying to walk out of the room and torn the filmy fabric on the skirt of her dress. Emma took her wand off of her daughters vanity and pointed to the tear. "Reparo." The fabric mended and fused as if it had never ripped. _

_Emma led Olivia safely out of the room as one of the servants opened the door for the platinum haired family that strode into Braddock Manor. The father looked around the room, searching for the master of the house. He appeared shortly, in a black and white formal suit as his wife and daughter descended the stairs. "Lucius. Good to see you old friend." Hawthorn Braddock greeted the tall wizard. _

_Lucius Malfoy shook Hawthorn's hand politely. "Hello Hawthorn." He greeted. _

_Narcissa Malfoy looked up the stairs as she held her young son still. Emma glided down the stairs as her daughter followed as gracefully as she could. "Narcissa, my dearest friend." Emma greeted the witch as she gave her a hug. Narcissa's son looked uncomfortable at the show of affection his mother was showing her friend. After his mother finished greeting her friend, Draco noticed the blond hiding behind her mother's skirts._

_Narcissa also noticed the young girl behind her friend. "Emma, is this your daughter Olivia?" she asked as she knelt to Olivia's level. The girl in the violet dress sucked in a breath and hid further behind her mother. _

"_Olivia, say hello." _

_Olivia peeked out of her hiding place and whispered timidly, "Hello." _

_Narcissa smiled and Olivia gained the courage to step out from behind her mother. Narcissa saw how beautiful her friend's daughter was, even now. She knew that Olivia would be a beauty among witches when she came of age. "Narcissa, is this young Draco?" asked Emma. _

"_Yes." The witch proclaimed, resting her hands proudly on Draco's shoulders. _

"_Hello Olivia." Draco greeted cautiously, reacting to some cue from his mother. _

"_Hello... Draco." Olivia answered slowly, then smiled, growing more comfortable around the pale boy._

"_Okay. Run along you two. Narcissa and I have things to discuss." Emma laughed. Olivia led Draco out the door into the garden. _

_Olivia and Draco's friendship quickly blossomed, and they soon found themselves seeing each other nearly every weekend. When the children received their long awaited acceptance letters from Hogwarts, their mothers tried as much as possible to keep them together._

_On the day that Emma was taking Olivia to Diagon Alley to buy her school things and meet up with the Malfoys, Narcissa arrived with eleven year old Draco in tow. "Emma, I hate to barge in like this, but would you take Draco with you? I have something very important to do that must not be delayed." Narcissa asked quickly._

"_Of course." _

_Narcissa smiled and sprinted back out the door as Emma ushered the children into a carriage and on the way to Diagon Alley. She led them through the crowded walkway to an aging building with a round bay window. A sign painted in faded, peeling letters read: Oliviander's, Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C._

"_Go inside. Mr. Olivander will help you. I'll go and take care of the rest of your your things." Emma told them, then continued down the alley. Draco and Olivia walked into the shop and Olivia marveled at the size of the shop, which was stocked well with dusty boxes piled high on old shelves. Draco, uninterested with the shop, strode up to the front desk and rang the bell. Its shrill chime rang through the shop and a man leaned over the desk, somewhat startling the children. _

"_Ah, I should have known I'd see you two in here soon enough. I remember when your parents were buying their first wands, Miss Braddock and Mr. Malfoy." The friends looked at each other, amazed, as he dove into the recesses of his shop. _

"_How could he know that?" whispered Olivia._

"_I don't know." Draco answered her before the wand-maker returned with two boxes in his hands. _

_He uncased each. One was a solid black wand with a smooth, well carved handle. The second, very similar to the other in shape, was a bit longer with floral vines winding up the wand from the handle to about four inches from the tip. The wand was a deep brown color._

"_Try these two." Olivander instructed. Draco reached for the black one. "Ten inches exactly. Unicorn hair. Hawthorn wood. Reasonably pliant." Olivia for the other. "Eleven inches. Unicorn hair. Holly. Fairly unyielding." The room instantly filled with light as the friends held their new wands. "Curious. Very curious." The wand-maker remarked. _

_Olivia turned to the white haired man. "What's curious?"_

"_Your wands, seem very different. But, the unicorn that gave you the core for your wand Miss Braddock, also gave the core for your friend's." He looked at Draco. _

"_What does that mean?" Asked Olivia. _

"_It means, that since your wands are what we call 'Brothers', they have very special properties when used together, and one can not be used against the other." _

"_Thank you, Mr. Olivander." Olivia finished, then walked out the door with Draco._

_Olivia's mother led them into the owl emporium and Olivia fell in love with a ginger colored cat that she named Harper, and Draco came out with a Barn Owl he named Augustus. _

_Before long, the duo was sorted into their houses at Hogwarts, but they were separated for the first time since they met, for, although Draco followed his family legacy of being sorted into Slytherin, Olivia found herself sorted into Gryffindor, and the fast friend of her cousin Ronald Weasely; Hermione Granger, a brilliant muggle-born; and Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. _

_Olivia and Draco grew farther apart than they ever had, since Draco let his new friends influence him and his actions, turning him into an arrogant bully for their first four years. Draco aggravated Olivia when he called Hermione a "Mudblood" in front of her, but Olivia was for the most part the only one who could seem to see the good in him, and she had no qualms about trying to help others see that and keeping him out of trouble. Over time though, she began to give up on him._

_She grew close to Harry Potter, especially in her third year when she and Harry were attacked by Dementors, and Professor Lupin taught them the Patronus Charm so that they could protect themselves from future attacks, and during their fourth year when she seemed to be the only one who believed him when he said that he didn't put his name in the goblet._

_Olivia ended up showing that she was gifted in Potions and Healing, even securing private tutoring with Madame Pomfrey, but she kept the actual extent of her powerful healing gift hidden, lest it be used against the people she loved. _

_Everything began to change after Lord Voldemort returned._


	2. The Order of the Phoenix

**I am sorry that I wasn't able to update sooner. I wanted too, but I had to sew like crazy and study for my SAT and ACT, the latter of which I'm taking on Saturday. I hope that like this chapter. It is better than the other ones and closer to the way I normally write. I wanted to write from the age perspective of I and this one detracts from the movie more than the last one, but the basic timeline is still the same through the Battle of Hogwarts.  
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**I have another chapter almost finished and am writing a third for the Order of The Phoenix year. I should get more frequent with my uploads once my Summer Vacation starts next week.**

**Sofia.**

**I am not someone who makes my readers pay for updates with reviews. I post updates when I have the chapter after it complete or nearly so, but I can't get any better at my writing unless you tell me what, and if, I am doing wrong. I'm already working on not making I quite so much of a Mary-Sue, (but in all fairness, I had to make her good and respectable and somewhat spotless for the Malfoys to even consider her good enough to be a friend for their son due to their pride, hence why I made her a Pureblood. The fact that she holds the title of Gryffindor's Princess was bad enough as far as I was concerned.) but I still need, and want, reviews. **

_Olivia POV_

_1_

"I, are you ready, Darling? It's almost time for you and Harry to go." My mother called from the first floor.

I stopped staring out the window into the rain and turned back to her bed, where a tightly packed brown trunk lay open. "Almost Mum." I replied, hoping that she had yelled loud enough for her mum to hear her. I checked her trunk for the third time, making totally sure that I had everything. I had my clothes, school robes, text books, personal things, wand, odds and ends. It looked over my list again. Every single check box on my list was marked off. I was ready.

I closed the trunk, sitting on it to make it latch; and grabbed Harper's cage as she wove her way between my legs and out of my room. The heavy trunk thudded to the floor before I wheeled it out of the room. When I left for my first year, I had three trunks and my cat, but with each year that passed I ended up packing less and less, as I realized what I really needed and what I could do without.

I shut my door, the third one that lined the white marble wall, and saw Harry doing the same. His owl hooted and flapped about in her cage. He calmed her down before he navigated the marble stairs to the ground floor. We were flooing ourselves: Harry to his aunt's home, myself and my little brother to the home of Sirius Black. My Aunt, Uncle, most of my cousins, and several other adults that I trusted, including my God father and Professor Snape, were already there.

Immediately after the return of the Dark Lord, Professor Dumbledore reactivated The Order of The Phoenix, a secret organization formed during the First Wizarding War to fight the Dark Lord. Some of the most powerful and skilled wizards and witches were members, including my parents, Harry's, and Neville's. Many of the teachers at Hogwarts were members, and others, such as Mundungus Fletcher, an annoying little man who seemed to be a kleptomaniac; had power or connections that benefited the Order.

I met Harry in front of the massive fireplace in the foyer. It was white marble, as was most of the ancient manor; ornately carved, and it glistened brightly, recently polished by one of our many house-elves. A lidded jar made of clear glass containing a dull, gray-green powder stood on the mantle, well out of reach of my younger siblings and starkly contrasting with the light and cleanliness of the fireplace. Beside it sat a family picture from my first year at Hogwarts. The forever blooming rose that Neville had given me Christmas the year before sat as the center piece of the arrangement on the mantle.

Harry hoisted his trunk onto the ash covered floor of the fireplace. Hedwig's cage he placed on top. The boy with disheveled black haired hugged my mother and father and waited for Briar and Hazel to come down. My brother was attending his first year at Hogwarts this year, so he was coming with me, but Hazel still had a year to wait.

"We'll miss you, Harry." My father hugged Harry.

"I'll miss you too, Mr. Braddock. Thanks for letting me stay with you this summer." Harry answered politely.

"It was a pleasure to have you with us Harry. I've already arranged with your aunt and uncle for you stay with us entirely for this summer and next." My father explained.

Harry laughed under his breath and straightened his glasses.

"We'll see you at Christmas." My mother promised. Harry hugged her tightly. She smoothed Harry's black hair. She had given him a haircut while he stayed with us, at his request, so now his hair was a few inches shorter than it had been the year before and more manageable, but it was still perpetually messy. It was something that he'd inherited from his father.

"Thank you." Harry said.

"What for, Harry?"

"For being the closest thing to parents I've had."

"You're welcome Harry. Now, you three better be going." She said before pulling the Floo Powder off of the mantle.

"Wait!" We all turned as my little sister Hazel ran down the stairs and into Harry. He grunted as the ten year old collided with him. "Goodbye, Harry." she spoke softly and hugged my friend. He tousled her long red hair.

"Bye Hazel."

My twin sisters Rose and Violet came down next and said their goodbyes to Harry, before shooting back up stairs. They hadn't grown as close to Harry as Hazel had. He was like a big brother to her.

Briar, who filed into the room with his trunks while Hazel said her goodbyes, fist bumped Harry. He was so much like Harry it was crazy, but then again, Harry was the first real role model aside from my father that he'd had. Although we loved my cousins to death, we didn't think that they were the best role models for Briar. My brother had idolized Harry, so he tried to be just like him whenever he came for the summer. "See you soon, little buddy." Harry said playfully.

"See you soon."

Harry turned back to my mother, who lifted the lid off of the Floo Powder. He grabbed a handful of the green powder, stepped into the fireplace, rested his hand on Hedwig's cage and shouted clearly, "Number 4, Privet Drive." Bright green fire swirled around Harry after he threw the powder on the floor. When the flames disappeared, so had Harry.

"Are you sure about this, Mum?" asked my brother. He had never used the Floo Network before, and this was the first time he'd seen it in action.

"You'll be fine, Briar." My father assured him as I hoisted our trunks into the fireplace. The inside of the fireplace was much larger than it looked and all five trunks, plus Harper's cage and my brother's owl's cage easily fit into the space with room left over for the humans.

I stepped into the fireplace. Harper sat beside patiently by my leg, knowing exactly what to do. Like myself, she'd grown accustomed to the workings of the Floo Network. I held my hand out for my brother. "It's okay Briar, just don't let go of my hand." He took it hesitantly and took the empty space beside me in the fireplace.

"See you soon, Mum." Briar said.

Mum held out the jar of Floo Powder. I took a handful. "Hold on tight." I whispered to my brother. He clasped my hand firmly. I looked up and exclaimed, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place." before I threw the green powder to the floor. Briar whimpered as the green flames enveloped us, but calmed when he realized that we weren't being burned alive. I saw my parents waving goodbye, then we both closed our eyes.

I felt Briar's hand slip from mine as he slid onto the floor of the small Gothic drawing room. I, still standing, stepped out of the fireplace and helped my brother up off the floor. "How was that for your first time using the Floo Network?" I asked.

After the shock wore off he grinned widely. "Can we do that again?" he answered, his eyes sparkling. I laughed.

"I think they're here." Ginny cried. Footsteps resounded through the ancient house and my Aunt Molly, her curly red hair flying about and an apron around her generous waist, strode into the room. She was just the sort of woman who would have a plate of cookies in her hands when ever someone came to visit.

"I, how wonderful to see you dear, and you too Briar." She greeted. "Fred, George, come help your cousins with their trunks!" she called, her voice still warm but commanding. A door slammed and four pairs of footsteps echoed on the stairs as I dusted the ashes off of myself and Briar.

Hermione, her bushy brown hair tamed with a headband, ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "I! I've missed you."

I returned the hug. "I missed you too, Hermione." My twin cousins finally strutted into the room and took the trunks, levitating them upstairs. Since they were seventeen, they were no longer bound by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction on Underage Magic, and appeared to be reveling in it. Harper had since left us, sauntering out of the fireplace as soon as we arrived. My cousin Ginny also hugged me.

My attention was turned back to Aunt Molly. "How is my sister?" she asked after she looked me over.

"Mum is well, she'll be coming in a few days. She has to get school supplies for Rose and Violet still." I explained.

Brair's stomach growled, and he blushed. "There's baked ham in the kitchen if you're hungry dear." My aunt said warmly. Briar instantly bolted to the kitchen. I laughed and followed Aunt Molly into the main part of the house.

I passed by an aging house elf, the one that had been serving the black family since its founding. "Hello Kreature, good to see you." I fiddled in my pocket for the small brown paper wrapped parcel. "This is for you."

He took it and gingerly opened it with his long, gnarled fingers. Inside were three fresh Ginger Snaps, Kreature's favorite. He bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Milady. You are the kindest to me of the noble house of Black. It's always good to see one who is kind to Kreature." He often spoke about himself in the third person, but that seemed to be his usual way, so I eventually got used to it.

"You're welcome Kreature. I baked them fresh this morning." I added.

He nodded and walked away to hide his treats.

I walked down the hall into the dining room. The long kitchen table was surrounded by several witches and wizards, and more stood by the wall. The familiar forms of Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape sat at the table, along with some that I didn't know so well.

An African man in deep blue embroidered robes sat talking with the master of the house. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the Minister of Magic's personal assistant and body guard. He by far had the most power at the Ministry of members of the Order. As far as I knew, no one knew of his affiliation with The Order of The Phoenix, and few were aware that it even existed, or where its headquarters was.

This house, which served as the Headquarters of The Order of The Phoenix, was hidden by the Filedius charm, making it invisible to wizards unless they knew the way inside, and were therefor Secret Keepers, and made it utterly invisible to muggles, whether they stumbled upon it or not.

Since my parents were among the original members of the Order, and I had been recruited after it was reactivated, I became a Secret Keeper and gained access to the house, whether from the outside or the Floo Network. Since Briar was still too young to be an Order member, if he hadn't been holding onto my hand the entire time we were traveling here, who knew where he might have ended up. At best, he wouldn't have even left our house; at worst, he would have been floating through the limbo of the Floo Network forever. As with Apparation, using the Floo Network had its dangers.

"Miss I, I see that you arrived safely." The man with long black hair greeted. He was Sirius Black, the last member of the Black family who still had the name, master of this house, and Harry's Godfather.

"Yes. My parents will arrive in a few days." I stated.

"My Goddaughter arrives and doesn't even greet her old, decrepit Godfather? What is this world coming to?" Alastor Moody grumbled playfully.

"Hello Professor Moody." I greeted him.

"Not this year. I would have loved to do it, but I am needed by the Order."

"Do you know who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is?" I asked him as he famous eye swiveled around, looking for someone or something.

"Unfortunately not, Deary. But who ever it is will never be as awesome as me, now will they?" His eyes lit up.

"No, never." I laughed.

My Aunt Molly entered the room with my uncle, Arthur Weasely; in tow. "Alright, we're ready. All of the children out, out." She shewed me and my brother from the room and Harper escaped to the second floor, unharmed and unnoticed.

Relenting, I turned and strode up the stairs, stopping at the room that had the names Ginny Weasely, Hermione Granger, and I Braddock spelled on it. I opened the aging door. My cousin and Hermione had already moved in it seemed, and the only bed that looked unowned was the one by the window. I also had a feeling it was mine because the trunks baring the initials O. R. B. sat haphazardly on it. I rolled my eyes. My cousins must have wanted to get back to whatever pranks they were thinking up.

I straightened the trunk and opened it, unpacking many of my things in the short dresser at the end of the bed. We were going to be staying here for a month or so until school started. With the threat of the Dark Lord, and the fact that he might still hold something against us, my parents thought it prudent to send us to the headquarters of the Order. Besides Hogwarts, it was the currently safest place for us in Britain.

After I unpacked and got myself settled, I placed Harper's sheepskin cat bed in front of the dusty window. Even though the light filtered through unevenly, it was enough for my cat to sun herself, and she liked to keep watch on things. I opened the curtain slightly and peered out the window. A pleasant looking park sat across from the house. I wondered if I could convince my parents to let me go there while we visited.

The days passed by quickly. I spent most of my time in the kitchen, cooking for the Order so that my parents and aunt could participate in the meetings. I had a feeling the my cousins would be fashioning a couple of their famous Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on the conversations, but the year before Harper and Crookshanks had found them to be amusing toys.

Two weeks after my brother and I arrived, I sat at the dining room table and looked over the latest issue of the Daily Prophet that had just been thrown on the table by George. I carefully unfolded the paper and, after reading the main headline, dropped my teacup, unable to preform the tiniest action. The hot tea spilled onto the table and splashed onto the floor, but I ignored it. "Mum! Dad!" I shouted once I regained the ability to move.

They rushed in, my mother still in her bath robe and my father with a cup of coffee in his hands. "What is it, Olivia?!"

"Harry's been expelled from Hogwarts."


	3. What friends are for

**After due consideration, I have decided to take down the Goblet of Fire part of this story. Not only does it slow the story way down and supply nothing that couldn't be told in occasional flashbacks, but also it gets veers considerably away from my normal writing style. I will take it down after I get chapter 3 of OoTP up. If you want to read the before part of this do it now, because you won't be able to again.**

**Sophie.**

Olivia POV

2

Every single member of the Order was sitting around the long formal dining table. Once I had called attention to the headline, Sirius had called an emergency meeting to help Harry. I was one of the members allowed a seat. My father stood over me. I wasn't normally allowed at the meetings, but since I was the one who stumbled across Harry's predicament, this afternoon was the exception.

"Harry wouldn't use magic outside of Hogwarts unless it was absolutely necessary." My silver haired Headmaster declared, sitting at the head of the table.

"That doesn't change the fact that the Ministry has expelled him, Dumbledore." Professor McGonagall argued.

"Father, Mr. Shacklebolt, is there anything that you can do? Please? Harry is like my brother." I looked up at them, my eyes pleading.

My father ran his hand through his long red hair.

"We'll have to pull a few strings, but I think we'll be able to secure a hearing for Mr. Potter." Mr. Shacklebolt answered, before conversing with the other members of the Order.

Finally, I left the room, unable to handle the chaotic atmosphere of the emergency meeting. I walked up the stairs to the bedroom and grabbed one of my favorite pieces of muggle literature, Jane Austen's Persuasion. Not caring how I did it, I knew I had to get out of the house or else I'd suffocate.

I knocked on the door frame of the dining room. All of those present looked up at me. "Mum?"

"Yes dear."

"Can I, um, _may _I go into the park across the street? I need some fresh air." I justified. They silently deliberated for a minute. "I could ask Fred or George to come with me." I offered.

"No. I'll go with you and keep you safe." A man with a lightly scarred, tired looking face stood up and slid his chair back into place.

"Would you, Remus? Thank you. There's nothing better than a Werewolf to protect the children, I say." She jested. Everyone at the table laughed.

"Come on, Olivia." He smiled as he met me at the doorway.

"Thank you."

Remus Lupin, who had been my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for my third year, was a tall, disheveled man and had been a friend of my parents during his school years. Remus, along with Harry's father; Harry's Godfather; Peter Pettigrew, the man who ended up getting Harry's parents killed and then masqueraded as Ron's pet rat until our third year; and my father had been the Marauders, a group similar to the one that Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I made up. They were important when the Dark Lord first came to power.

He took his walking stick and we walked out the door. "That is a good book." He said, gesturing to the volume in my hands.

"Oh, yes. It's my favorite."

"Would you mind if we took a walk?" He asked. I nodded. The park was fairly large and had an abundance of walking paths. We chose one and strode at a leisurely pace. "I hear that you've been working on your Patronus." Professor Lupin started, trying to strike up a conversation but I also deduced that he was also wanting to talk to me about something specific.

"Yes." I answered politely. "Last year at school I was finally able to get it to take a shape."

"Really? And what shape was that?"

"A ferret. I didn't think that I was very ferret like."

"Let me tell you something about a Patronus. Legend has it, that when two people share the same Patronus or a pair, for example: a doe and a stag, those two are linked, either by intense love or because they are soul mates."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, rather confused by what he had just told me.

"Nothing at the moment. It's just something that I forgot to tell you when I taught you and Harry the charm. Now, your relationship with a certain Draco Malfoy is another matter entirely."

The real reason that he was talking to me had been made clear, and I wasn't entirely willing to discuss the subject. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?" I answered reluctantly.

He stopped and laid his free hand on my shoulder, speaking to me as if to a child, which is something that I absolutely hated, and what he said afterwards angered me more. "Olivia, that boy is dangerous."

"He may not be the boy that I grew up with anymore, but he isn't dangerous." I defended my former best friend once again.

"I'm asking you to be careful, Olivia. He is very powerful, more powerful than even I can comprehend, and because of his family's history with the Dark Lord, that power could very easily be used against us, against you."

I knew that he was only looking out for me at my mother's behest, but I was still mad at him. "He _won't _use it against me."

"I know that you believe that, Olivia, but the Voldemort will use him and which side he eventually falls on could be crucial to fighting the War."

"Are you trying to use him as a tool?" I blew up, outraged. How many times had I defended Draco, even when he didn't need or want it? How many times had I protected him from things that weren't my concern or that I had no control over? Why did I still stand by him when he had proven time and time again that he didn't deserve it? He had drifted far away from the kind, sensitive boy I had once known, but my attachment to him was too strong to break.

My old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher silenced me. I crossed my arms. "I have noticed a change in Draco. Some way, some how, light is entering his heart. What I need you to do is try and keep him on that path."

"I don't know what I can do, Remus." I admitted. "He will barely talk to me now, and the fact that I am 'Gryffindor's Princess' doesn't help matters much."

"Just... just treat him like you always do, Olivia."

The next few days went by quickly. After many attempts, my father, Mr. Shacklebolt, and Professor Dumbledore were able to get Harry the hearing, now all that we needed was Harry.

On Thursday night, two days before the Hearing, a select group of Order Members were chosen to retrieve Harry from Number 4, Privet Drive. Since Harry's relatives were muggles and tried their best to live life like other non magical people, they didn't have any Flue Powder for magical transportation, so we had to get Harry by other means. He also wasn't legally allowed to Apparate.

"Come on, all of you. There's no time to waste." My Godfather growled. Mr. Shacklebolt, Nymphodora Tonks, a talented young Auror and Metamorphamagus with beautiful purple hair and a fun personality; another witch and wizard whom I didn't know very well, and my father stood by the front door, their broomsticks at the ready.

"Bring him home, Alastor." begged the man with long, curly brown hair, a short beard and mustache.

Professor Moody, not answering, quickly opened the door and the rescue party filed out of Headquarters, instantly taking to the air. Immediately after wards, Remus closed the door and the house slipped back into limbo. Because of the Fidelius Charm placed on the house, to non Secret Keepers the house didn't exist. It was on the odd numbered side of the street, aiding in its concealment.

"I hope Harry's okay." I confided.

"He will be fine."

"According to my father, the Dursleys are 'truly a horrid excuse for Muggles.'"

"He will be fine." The werewolf repeated. "Go on up to your room. Harry will be here soon enough."

Hermione and my two closest cousins sat in the shared room, idly chitchatting. "Hey, Olivia."

"I hope Harry's going to be okay." I said, dropping to the floor and sitting next to them.

"He'll be here soon Olivia." Ron asserted.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean the Hearing. They can't expel Harry, they just can't." I wrapped my arms around my knees and rocked back and forth, nervous as a rabbit.

My cousin Ginny scooted over to me and hugged me, shoulder to shoulder. She was getting really tall, as tall as me, and I was a bit taller than Harry. "Thanks Ginny." I whispered.

"Dad says that the Ministry is all up in arms about the return of You-Know-Who. They know about it, but they don't want to believe it." Ron began, trying to strike up a conversation but making me more nervous.

"Ron, you're making Olivia more nervous." Hermione reprimanded the ginger haired boy. Ron wisely shut his mouth. We discussed other topics, trying to keep our minds off of You-Know-Who and the hearing.

After an hour or two, we faintly heard three taps of a walking stick and the house begin to come out of limbo. Harry must be here. I ran to the window, moving the curtain and glimpsing Harry's face in the light of a street lamp. My face lit up. "Harry's alright." I breathed, infinitely relieved. Harry didn't see me, and stepped into the house. I sprinted to the door and reached the handle when Hermione caught my arm.

"Wait." She advised. "Harry's been through a lot lately. Let's not hound him." I heard the wisdom in her words and sat on my bed, staring out into the night. Harper leaped beside me and rubbed her side against my arm. I turned my attention to her and lightly scratched her head, making her purr.

The door handle started to turn and I jumped up, disregarding Hermione's advice. As soon as I saw Harry's characteristic black hair, I slammed into him, hugging him as tightly as I could and still allowing him to breath normally. "Oh, Harry!"

"Blyme, Olivia." Harry gasped. I'd knocked the wind out of him.

"Olivia's been fretting about you all night." Ron broke in.

I let harry go and stood a few feet from him. "Are you all right? We overheard them talking about the Dementor attack. You have to tell us everything." I demanded.

"You must let the man breathe, Olivia." My cousin ordered.

"And this hearing at the Ministry. It's just outrageous. I've looked it up. They simply can't expel you. It's completely unfair." Hermione finished for me, disregarding her own advice.

Harry walked slowly around the room. "Yeah. There's a lot of that going on at the moment." He grumbled. He surveyed the room. "So... what is this place?" Harry asked, interested.

I laughed. "This... is the Headquarters for the Order." When Harry gazed at me, confused, I continued. "The Order of The Phoenix."

"It's a secret society. Dumbledore formed it back when they first fought You-Know-Who." Hermione explained fully.

Harry sat on the edge of one of the beds. "And you couldn't put this into a letter I suppose? I've gone all summer without a scrap of news. Even you, Olivia, wouldn't tell me anything about where your parents were going every week." he barked. He had every right to be mad at us, but keeping the secret was as much for his protection as ours. Even so, every word he said bit into me, knowing that I'd had to lie to him all summer.

"We wanted to write, mate. Really, we did. Only..." My cousin croaked.

"Only what?"

"Only Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything." I quoted. I could feel the still invisible tears welling in my eyes and I knew that I was close to breaking down. _Get it under control Olivia. Don't let it show. _ I sucked up my tears and turned my face into a neutral mask.

"Dumbledore said that?" Harry choked.

"But why would Dumbledore want to keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I mean, I was the one who saw Voldemort return, I'm the one who fought him, I'm the one who saw Cedric Diggory get killed." Harry blew up.

He jumped out of his skin when two wet pops echoed through the room and Fred and George appeared beside Harry. "Harry,"

"Thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"Don't bottle it up, though, mate. Let it out." My cousins jabbered.

"Well, if you're all done shouting, how would you like to hear something a little more interesting?" Fred inquired.

"Your Extendable Ears?" I questioned, rolling my eyes.

"The world's best eavesdropping device." Fred pulled a set of the objects out of his pocket. They truly were extendable _ears, _attached to each other by a long thin cord.

We all filed out of the room and stood on the balcony, lowering the ear to the ground level.

Neville revealed himself from one of the rooms and joined our group. His grandmother had taken his parent's place within the Order when it was reactivated.

My siblings were playing in their rooms and were ignorant of our gathering.

Voices from the first floor funneled through the Extendable Ear and into all of ours. "If anyone has a right to know, it's Harry. If it wasn't for Harry we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back. He's not a child, Emma." Sirius Black whispered.

"But he's also not an adult, nor is he his father, Sirius." My mother retorted.

"Well, he's not your son."

"He's as good as. We've given him the closest thing to parenting he's had. Lord knows the Dursleys haven't given him any." she snapped.

"Who else has he got?" my mother's older sister interjected.

Ginny joined us, taking the spot next to me. "Hey Ginny." I greeted.

"He's got me." Sirius pointed out.

"How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon just like his godfather." Our Potion's Master's bored voice predicted.

"Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus." Sirius warned.

"Snape's part of the Order?" asked Harry incredulously.

"Git." all of the boys except Neville chanted. Neville was just plain scared of Professor Snape.

It was then that we saw the cats.

Crookshanks and Harper sat majestically on the stairs, watching our eavesdropping tool with interest. Harper acted like a queen and licked her paw nonchalantly. "Good girl, Harper." I praised.

Crookshanks, the big orange puffball, was another story. He eyed the ear hungrily.

"Now, about your reformation." Spoke up one of the unfamiliar Order members, skillfully changing the subject.

"I know better." Said Sirius, crossly.

"So why don't you tell him?" asked Snape.

Crookshanks bounded off the stairs, narrowly missing the ear as George pulled it up, but gained the attention of Harper, who strode down the stairs gracefully. Crookshanks batted at the ear when he had righted himself.

"Get off it." Fred warned.

"Quick. Get it up." whispered his brother.

"Crookshanks. Stop it." Hermione called.

He mewed, and the temptation for my cat to join the fun game was too much for her. She also began batting at the ear while her playmate tried to catch it with his teeth.

"Get off, you bloody cats." Fred ordered.

"Harper, no." I hissed. She followed my command and left, sauntering into the meeting room.

Hermione's cat wasn't nearly so well behaved as mine. "Crookshanks, leave it alone!" Hermione hissed. The sounds of the cat playing with the ear were intensely magnified and screeched in our ears.

"Get it up." George whispered to his brother.

Finally, we lost the war with the feline. He stood up on two legs and pulled the ear off its string, taking it in his mouth and purring triumphantly as he strode away with his prize.

"Hermione, I hate your cat." Fred grumbled.

"Bad Crookshanks." she scorned her fluffy bunch of carrot orange fur.

"Do you have another?" asked Harry hopefully.

Fred looked up at the spectacle wearing boy. "Sorry, mate. That was the last one we had."

Harry sighed and we walked back into our rooms. After several more minutes, we heard my Aunt call. "All right, all of you. You can come down now." Doors instantly slammed and all of us filed down the stairs. I was the first one down. "Well, we'll be eating down in the kitchen." Suddenly, my two cousins appeared beside their mother with a quiet pop. Her warm smile vanished as she threw her hands up in surprise, then glared at her sons. "Just because you're allowed to use magic now does not mean you have to whip out your wands for everything!" She hollered, batting at her sons in frustration. They quickly retreated into the kitchen.

I followed my cousins into the kitchen, quickly grabbing a plate and filling it with the things that I and my aunt had cooked. Ginny was the next one in after me. "Hi, Mum." She said. Countless others surged into the kitchen, and Ron piled his plate high with food.

"Is that enough?" I shot at him. His bottomless stomach annoyed me since we had lots of people to feed and he was taking far more than his fair share.

My aunt and uncle spoke with Harry. I ignored them but turned when I heard a smooth, breathy voice. "Harry Potter."

Harry's face lit up. "Sirius." He strode to and hugged his loving godfather. They both chuckled.

"Come Harry. Let's eat." Sirius said, patting Harry on the back and gesturing into the kitchen. A buffet line was quickly set up, and before long we all sat at the long table that took up the quaint, informal dining room. I sat next to Ginny, and Tonks amused us by changing her face to resemble different types of animals.

Nymphadora Tonks, daughter of Andromeda and Ted Tonks, and, unfortunately, the niece of Bellatrix Lastrange, hated her given name. She threatened to curse me once when I met her and accidentally called her by it. Sometimes my Godfather would call her by it to get under her skin. It worked well every time.

Not many things other than that made her angry, but the mention of Draco did. I asked her about it when she made evident her dislike of the pale boy. The reason shocked me: Draco was her cousin through her mother.

Tonks's mother, and, consequently, her, had been blasted off the Black Family Tree when Andromeda fell in love with and married a Muggle Born. That was one of the unpleasant side effects of being a member of the Black family: if you didn't follow their pure-blood ideals and hate everything pertaining to Muggles and part Muggles in general, you were likely to be disowned by the family. Thankfully, that fate hadn't happened since Sirius became the head of the Black family, but some of the portraits, especially the one of his mother, Walburga Black, greatly disapproved.

My uncle Arthur spoke with Harry as Ginny, Hermione, and I tried to contain our laughter at Tonks's hilarious transformations. "This is very, very peculiar. It seems your hearing in the Ministry is to be before the entire Wizengamot."

"I don't understand." Harry interjected. "What has the Ministry of Magic got against me?" The table grew quiet. I put my fork down.

"Show him. He'll find out soon enough." Mad-Eye said, the gravelly quality in his voice making itself known.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, sitting between Harry and I, motioned for the paper that I had hidden under my plate. It was the latest edition, and the headline was infuriating. I'd kept it hidden, not only so that Harry wouldn't find it, but also so that I didn't rip it to shreds and use it as tinder for the fireplace. Reluctantly, I pulled the issue from under my plate and handed it to the dark skinned man. He gestured to the headline and handed Harry the paper. He examined it silently while his godfather explained. "He's been attacking Dumbledore as well. Fudge is using all his power, including his influence at the Daily Prophet to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned." The entire table fell silent. We knew that Sirius was touching on sensitive subjects, ones that we'd hoped to keep from Harry until he decided whether or not he wanted to join the Order full time.

"Why?" The boy in question inquired.

Remus, looking bedraggled and wearing an ill fitting dull gray sweater, spoke up. "He thinks Dumbledore's after his job."

"But that's insane!" Harry cut in, "No one in their right mind could believe that Dumbledore..."

Remus wrested control of the conversation from Harry, elaborating further. "Exactly the point. Fudge isn't in his right mind. It's been twisted and warped by fear." He made several nervous hand gestures as he spoke. I noticed that Tonks was gazing at him intently. "Now, fear makes people do terrible things, Harry. The last time Voldemort gained power he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the Minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrifying truth." He finished sadly, staring at his empty plate.

I looked toward my mother and aunt, who were slicing vegetables and stirring batters. They were growing more tense the longer this conversation went on. Harry's godfather picked up where his friend, the werewolf; left off. "We think Voldemort wants to build up his army again. Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command. And not just witches and wizards, but all manner of dark creatures. He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same. But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in. We believe Voldemort may be after something." By now, the rhythmic chopping and stirring from the kitchen had ceased as the two sisters listened intently, the tension from the two of them energizing the air.

"Sirius." My godfather warned.

Sirius Black continued, ignoring him. "Something he didn't have the last time."

"You mean, like a weapon?" Harry asked slowly.

The tension between my mother and her sister broke. "No. That's enough." My mother stopped Sirius in his tracks, striding over to Harry and taking the newspaper from him. "He's a boy, Sirius. If you keep going then you may as well induct him into the Order right now!"

"Good. I want to join. If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight." Harry declared.

Sirius clapped his hands and leaned back in his chair, satisfied. The look my mother gave him was enough to make me and Ginny cringe in fear. Sirius winked and smiled at Harry. "You are an insufferable man, Sirius Black." My mother snapped, rejoining her sister and continuing her kitchen duties.

The clock chimed, marking the hour. "Oh dear. Off to bed all of you , especially you, Harry. You need your rest." My aunt ordered.

I got up and kissed Mum and Aunt Molly on the cheek. "Goodnight. I love you."

"We love you too, Olivia."

I walked quickly up the stairs and opened the door to our room. The room was empty and the house was in limbo, but out of habit I closed the drapes. Just because no one could currently see in, didn't mean that I couldn't see out. Monsters stalked the night that only those with magical blood could see, even here in this muggle suburb, and I'd rather not have nightmares.

I grabbed my nightclothes, a silk sleep wear set dyed violet and embroidered with white roses; and slipped them on. The smooth fabric was cool against my skin. I crawled into bed and grabbed my wand. "Lumos." I said. Instantly, a white spark lit the end of wand until it grew as bright as a candle flame.

I wasn't breaking the Underage Magic law. As with all laws, there were exceptions, and there were a few spells that could be legally performed by school age magic users without any repercussions. _Lumos_ was one of those spells.

I read a few pages in Persuasion, and put my book down when Ginny and Hermione finished readying for bed. "Nox." I said. The light at the end of my wand vanished. After my wand was safely on the nightstand, I fluffed my pillow and fell asleep within minutes.

My eyes shot open. I turned and saw that it was still well before sunrise. After tossing in the bed, I stared up at the ceiling, causing the bed to creak while I tried to figure out why I'd woken up. Hermione moaned and shifted her position, turning away from me, but still fast asleep.

Faintly, I heard panicked cries emanating from the room next to us. I knew now why I'd woken up. Harry was having nightmares again, and there was only one thing I could do about it.

I lifted the covers off of me and swung my legs out. A shiver rolled up my spine when my feet hit the cold wood floor. A small coin, about the size of a bottle cap, sat unobtrusively on the nightstand. I grabbed it and snuck out of the room, letting my roommates sleep.

Slowly, I crept into the room that Harry slept in. My cousin was sleeping like the dead and didn't notice the boy tossing and turning next to him, occasionally calling, "Don't kill Cedric."

I walked over to Harry and gently shook him awake. He groaned. "Harry, wake up." I whispered.

His eyes opened, looking at me with a puzzled expression. "You were screaming Harry." I informed him.

"Oh."

"Here." I said, handing him the enchanted coin. He took it gingerly and examined the embossed metal disk. "It's charmed to stave off nightmares. I normally keep it on my nightstand, but you need it more than I do. I'm not the one going to a hearing in front of the entire Wizengamot."

"Thanks Olivia." He whispered, before falling back to sleep.


	4. What happened to us, Draco?

**6/19/14**

**Now comes that regretful moment when I take down the first part of this story. I had Draco a little too OOC to follow and it was very bad writing by my standards. You will still see some of the original material in flashbacks, but I am taking to brunt of the story down.**

**I have made Draco more like the one that we know, and tried very hard to _unMary-Sue_ Olivia. For all of those who subscribed and favorited, do not fret. I will be trying my level best to update this every Thursday night for the rest of the summer and hopefully into the school year as well, although that might prove to be a challenge later since I will be a college bound senior. **

**I am also working on another Fanfic, (different fandom) that somewhat coincides with this one that I will start putting up, hopefully, once I have year 5 finished and year 6 coming. **

**For my reviewers: I enjoy good reviews and constructive criticism. I really do enjoy constructive criticism, but it must be _constructive _criticism. As I've already done, all derogatory or inflammatory reviews will be immediately deleted. **

**Sophie.**

Olivia POV

3

After Harry left for the Hearing, I paced endlessly, not knowing why. I was close to wearing a hole in the floor when Ginny walked up to me and shook my arm, breaking my trance. "Olivia, hey, Mum wants your help in the kitchen."

I looked at the ginger haired girl. Ginevra Weasely had her long hair tucked behind her ears and it fell in an unbroken sheet down her back. Her eyes were bright blue. A few freckles dusted her small nose.

When I was younger I'd wanted freckles, to the extent of charming them onto my face. The next day though, since it was a time when I was only practicing Accidental Magic, I found bright purple polkadots blanketing my face. I swore off freckles for myself then and there.

"Ok." I answered quietly, letting her lead me down the stairs into the galley kitchen. My mother and Aunt Molly stood side by side in the kitchen, trading off tasks and trying to keep everything in order while they cooked for twenty people. I strode into the room and grabbed for my old apron, tying it around my waist before I took bread making duty away from my mother.

She smiled at me, flashing ivory teeth. "Harry will be fine dear. Don't you worry. Dumbledore will keep him out of Azkaban." My aunt commented as she chopped potatoes and tossed them into a pot threatening to boil over on the gas stove. I turned it down reflexively, and went back to kneading dough. The repetitive task helped me take my mind off of Harry and the Hearing. I knew that this wasn't why Ginny brought me down here, but I was thankful to her anyway.

We served lunch, Tonks telling my cousin and I about the Order's latest mission, or_ adventure_, as she called it.

As I waited for Harry to return, I stumbled upon a hallway that sat unused, evident by the dusty cobwebs draped on the gas lamps that lined the walls. The corridor had a door at each end, but one of the doors was nailed shut. Not even _Alohomora _could make it budge, not that I tried.

What interested me in the long room, and what kept me from retreating to the better lived in part of the ancient house, was a large portrait that hung alone on the wall. A beautiful woman with long dark hair twisted into a bun sat majestically on a centuries old velvet chair. Her dress was simple: brown with black pearls sewn along the neckline and cuffs. She read a book with eyes a shade of blue similar to Sirius's.

I looked at the engraved golden plaque below the painting. _Cassiopeia Black _stared at me in the faded light shining through the open door. The woman in the portrait was my Great Grandmother, and my blood connection to the Black family. She looked up at me when she saw that she had company. "Hello, dear. Who might you be?" she asked politely, shutting her book and laying it gingerly in her lap.

"I'm Olivia Braddock ma'am." I answered her. I felt the urge to curtsy and acted accordingly. "I'm your Great Granddaughter."

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you Olivia." She looked me over. " By your beauty I can tell that Black blood runs strong in your veins." I blushed at the complement. "And you are the first decent person I have spoken with in years."

"Thank you. Why haven't I ever seen you before?" I asked. "Surely there must be more paintings of you."

"I have one in the old family home, but I do believe it was placed into the attic before you were born. As for this house I've been kept in this hall for over fifteen years and not even old Kreature comes to visit me. If only Sirius would make a trip down here and move me into the parlor I would be quite satisfied."

"I might be able to persuade him." I told my Great Grandmother, grinning back at her.

She gazed at me longer. "You do look so much like your mother, my dear..." She was cut off when Sirius entered the room, halting my conversation with the woman in the portrait.

He strode over to us. "That is enough chatting for now. Go on Olivia. Supper is on the table." He said, evicting me from the room. The door creaked loudly, so I couldn't make out what Sirius said to the portrait first, but I was able to catch a snippet of the conversation between them once I was in the main hallway. "I will put you in the attic."

As I glided down the many flights of stairs, I wondered. Why would Sirius want to stow my Great Grandmother away just for talking to me? What was he hiding?

I found Harry at the dining table when I made it down to the first floor. He smiled at me as he played with the baked chicken on him plate. I smiled back, taking my seat by Ginny. My mother set a full plate in front of me. "Eat Darling. This will the last time you get one of our suppers till Christmas." She moved to sit next her sister.

The food was delicious, as it always was. Even though we had house elves who worked in the kitchen, my mother was an excellent cook and when paired with her sister made a formidable cooking duo.

I slept well that night, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Sirius had told Cassiopeia. What was he hiding?

When we arrived at Kings Cross the next morning, it immensely crowded with people pushing all manner of carts and trunks. My godfather, Tonks, Remus, my parents, and Padfoot, which is what Sirius was called when he shape shifted into a black dog; escorted my cousins, Harry, Hermione, my brother, and my self to the train. I wondered why, since we were in Muggle London, people didn't stare at my Godfather's self moving eye, but I assumed that he had glamoured it for the Muggles and that I could see past it because I was magical.

He walked stiffly with his hawk headed staff, grunting angrily when the shaggy black dog wove his way past us. "Padfoot, are you barking mad?! You'll blow the entire operation." The large hound trotted down the stairs and shape shifted back into a man when he found an empty waiting room. Harry ducked in after him.

"Let them be, Olivia." My Father ordered when I attempted to poke my head into the room. "We have to get you both settled." He pulled me away and sent me with Briar through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. My brother marveled at the steam locomotive that closely resembled the one he had at home when we appeared at the other side.

"Blimey." He said before father whisked him away to get his trunks in order and find him an empty seat in the First-Years train car.

I turned the other way and gave my luggage to one of the waiting train attendants. He took my trunk and Harper's crate, setting them gingerly in a baggage compartment. The train was just beginning to fill with students when I shuffled into it and searched out an empty compartment, which wasn't very hard.

As I opened the door to an empty compartment, a short girl with long pale blond hair and dangling earrings shaped like radishes bumped into me. She had her nose stuck into an upside-down issue of the Quibbler. Even though she looked a little odd, her knowledge was a force to be reckoned with: she was a Ravenclaw after all. The Sorting Hat tried to sort both Hermione and I into that house a year before she was, but our bravery won out over knowledge. "Luna." I greeted cheerfully.

She slowly looked up from her magazine. Her eyes were as pale as her hair and were filled with equal amounts of wonder and knowledge. "Hello Olivia."

"How have you been?"

"Very well. Nargels have been taking my things this summer."

"Nargels?" I asked, bewildered. I shook it off. "It doesn't matter. See you at school, Luna."

After she walked away, I found an empty compartment and sat on one of the soft, padded benches, waiting patiently for my friends.

Before any of my group of friends joined me in the car, I stared out the window and watched the magical people stride up and down the platform as they sent their children off for another year at Hogwarts. I could tell that they didn't believe in anything that Harry spoke of when he mentioned the Dark Lord: they coldly disregarded Harry when he passed them on the way to the train. We had the Daily Prophet and our Minister of Magic to blame for that. I hoped that my friends and I wouldn't not snubbed at school since we openly supported Harry, and I had seen enough the last year to know that the monster who had cost my family so much was indeed back.

Someone crossed in front of the the door's frosted window and I recognized the short, fair hair and the black suit as Draco. I stood up and unlocked the door, opening it swiftly and poking my head out in hopes that I could catch him. "Draco."

He momentarily glanced behind him, barely even acknowledged that he heard me, and made no motion to return the way he came, instead flinging his black briefcase into a compartment a few rows down and disappearing after it. I stared blankly after him. Even though we had drifted apart after we were sorted at Hogwarts, he was still always civil to me, at the very least acknowledging that he had seen or heard me. From my memories of us as kids, it was so unlike him to act _that_ coldly, to anyone really. He did often act that way to Harry, they still were not on the best terms; but he'd never snubbed me to that extent.

"He's probably finally moved on from you, Sugar Cube. He has new friends." An annoying little voice rang in my head. I chased the voice away and shut it in a box. _I_ will _save him from the_ _darkness. I won't give up on him._ I vowed, remembering what Remus had talked to me about weeks before.

I sat back down and shut the door dejectedly. Outside, the corridors quickly filled up with students running back and forth, trying to find an empty car. I sulked and looked out the window until I heard the door open and my group filed into the car. Putting up a cheerful façade, I grinned widely at them while they sat down and settled themselves for the long ride to the boarding school.

Harry stared out the window and fell asleep on the trip to Hogwarts. We didn't bother him, instead Hermione and I read the Daily Prophet and Persuasion out loud while Ron occupied himself with some of the jokes his brothers dreamt up.

The sky was a star studded void when the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into the station. We were some of the last off the train, and Harry wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, doubtlessly mulling over his Hearing and his near expulsion from Hogwarts. Harry stumbled off of the platform and nearly fell onto the tracks, but he caught himself just in time.

Behind us, We heard a few students talking amongst themselves, including a voice that I would have recognized anywhere. Draco and his housemates passed us. "Enjoy your freedom while you can, Potter. I bet there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it." The blond jeered. Harry instantly took offense, and would have confronted his enemy had Ron not restrained him. "Can you believe them? Nutters every one."

As Harry struggled against Ron's hold and yelled angrily, "Just stay away from me!" I was reeling from what Draco had said to me.

"He called me crazy." I breathed in disbelief. Draco, my former best friend, the one whom I used to always go to when I was in trouble or upset, the one whom I'd sworn to rescue from the darkness that surrounded him; had called me a Nut, like I should be thrown in an asylum. Now, I wondered. _Was it possible that he was beyond saving?_

"What, Olivia?" Hermione asked, seeming to have heard me.

"Oh. Nothing." I lied, dismissing her. We strode down the platform and snagged the last carriage to the castle. The gaunt, black beast pulling it huffed and I petted its muzzle. It looked like an emaciated flying horse, but I knew that it was perfectly healthy.

I never noticed that Neville had joined us. "What is it, Olivia?" Harry asked, turning after watching Cho ride away. I knew that Ginny would have been jealous had she seen: she'd been massively crushing on Harry for years.

"What are you talking about Harry, there's nothing there." Hermione answered automatically. She peered at me queerly when she saw me petting the creature.

"It's called a Thestral." I answered Harry as I hoisted myself into the carriage, which happened to be occupied by Luna who was still reading her Quibbler. I sat next to the pale haired girl.

"You three just haven't seen enough to be able to see them." Luna informed them slowly as they followed me and sat.

I instantly burst into introductions. "This is Luna Lovegood. Her father is the Editor of the Quibbler."

"Hello." Everyone chimed.

Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable around the somewhat odd girl.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." Luna assured, looking up from her book and sliding it between us.

"That is an interesting necklace." Hermione observed, gesturing to the pendant that graced Luna's neck and trying to strike up a cautious conversation.

Luna glanced down at her necklace, obviously flattered, not realizing how uneasy my best friend was. "It's a charm actually. It keeps away the Nargels." She leaned forward, which caused Hermione to lean back reflexively.

The carriage lurched forward and Neville kept a hold of the tall, cactus-like plant in his hands. The bushy haired brunet was assaulted with a question from Ron, one which, for once, she possessed no good answer.


	5. Ministry Interference

**6/26/14**

**Hey!**

**It was close, but I was able to get this up today like I promised, yay! I will have at least one chapter up a week, and more if possible. I am having a lot of fun writing Olivia, and lending her my disdain of Delores Umbridge, even though she is my favorite Harry Potter villain.**

**The next chapter will be Olivia's POV, but chapter 6 will be Draco's POV, as promised to a reviewer. I am open to suggestions from reviewers or PMs. I have several ideas but love fresh imaginations too, and besides, reviews make me happy. ;) **

**I will have the next update up no later than July 3, and I might put one up a day early the next week as a birthday present from me to all of us since I turn 18 next Wednesday.**

**Thank you everyone who reads my work. I love you, and promise to have a fic up soon for all of us ONCErs out there. (My favorite show and one I've wanted to work with for a wwwwwhhhhhiiiiillllleeeeee...) Captain Swan all the way. My mom is SwanFire. sigh.  
**

**TTYL**

**Sophie.**

**P.S. **

**Due to some family trouble I will not be able to get the next chapter up by Thursday, but it, and hopefully the next one too, will be up by the 9th.**

Olivia POV

The Great Hall was crowded with students both new and returning when I finally made it to my house's table. There was vast empty seat beside Harry that I was seriously considering stealing. The students sitting on the side opposite the void were squished, obviously trying to avoid Harry.

Harry had his gaze locked on Seamus Finnigan, who was on the edge of the gap and glaring at him from time to time. I sat between them, breaking the staring contest and shielding Harry from Finnigan's disdain. I knew that he was one of the people who didn't believe us. His mother worked at the Ministry, and they had been fed the lies spouting from the establishment.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Harry, laying my hand on his arm, concern in my voice.

"There isn't much you can do for me, Olivia." He snapped, turning his attention back to his food. I was taken aback. It was rare for him to snap at people, except Draco; and I had never heard him do it to any of us.

I had filled my plate and started enjoying the feast when our Headmaster took his annual place at the wax covered, owl shaped podium. All of the students, myself included and Harry somewhat reluctantly, turned our attention to the gray haired, wizened old man as the room quickly went silent.

"Good evening, children. Now, we have two changes in staffing this year. We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave." Many students, especially those from Hufflepuff and my house audibly displayed their disappointment.

I habitually scanned the Teacher's Table. Hagrid's massive seat was empty, a new seat placed next to it was taken up by a slight witch with ratty brown hair in a bun under her weather beaten mottled brown hat. Professor McGonagall sat in her usual place between Hagrid's chair and Professor Snape. A smile graced her face as she watched the headmaster. Our black haired Potions Professor stared pointedly at me. I looked away from him to the woman sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Art's Teacher's dark chair.

The plump woman looked out of place and, quite honestly, outrageous. Dressed in a furry, bubblegum pink get up with a rosy crocheted monstrosity of a hat, she looked rather like Pigmy-puff, a small furry animal that Fred and George had started breeding over the summer which happened to often be pink. Her dark hair was strictly curled close to her rectangular face and she held herself as if she were an exceptionally important person and the rest of us were imbeciles who were fortunate to share the room with her. I immediately disliked her.

The headmaster continued. "We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Delores Umbridge." At that moment, the woman giggled slightly: a high, bubbly sound. "And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck. Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you..." He was suddenly cut off when Professor Umbridge cleared her throat and lifted a revoltingly pink bag off of the floor by her feet.

The room grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop as everyone sat in shock that the new teacher had so inappropriately broken protocol. One of the principle unspoken rules of the school was that no one - student or staff – ever interrupted the Headmaster when he or she was speaking. That action was considered the pinnacle of disrespect, and her use of it caused me to detest her even more.

As the Headmaster and the rest of the school stared at her in disbelief, the professor rose slowly from her seat, relishing the attention that we were paying her; before sliding out of her seat and sauntering to the edge of the dais. Her bow adorned pink heels thudded annoyingly on the wood as she took the spot in front of the Headmaster's podium that no teacher before her had ever stood.

Harry, recognizing the pink woman, whispered. "She was at my hearing." Hermione and I both turned to look at him. "She works for Fudge."

Professor Umbridge spoke in a high grating voice that set my teeth on edge. It wasn't fair for me to judge the woman before I had even truly met her, but just about everything about her agitated me, and I sensed something off about her. I had a feeling that we hadn't seen most of how she acted yet. "Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely it is to see all your bright, happy faces smiling up at me." She explained slowly, her voice dripping with condescension as she spoke to us as if we were but mere simpletons. "I'm sure that we're all going to be very good friends."

I rolled my eyes and joined Fred and George as they countered her. "That's likely." Many of the students giggled and Umbridge shot us an aggravating grin reserved for misbehaving toddlers before she began pacing side to side. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practices that ought to be prohibited." She whispered the ending of her extremely dull speech and strode back to her seat at the table.

The Headmaster bade us clap, and half of us did halfheartedly. "Thank you Professor Umbridge. That really was quite illuminating." He drawled, just as bored with it as we were. He continued stating the customary announcements.

"Illuminating? What a load of waffle." Ron said disdainfully, glancing at all of us.

My subsequent eye roll and heavy sigh signaled that I agreed with him.

"What's it mean?" Asked Harry.

Hermione whipped her head in his direction. Her hair would have slapped him had it not been secured by a black barrette."It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts." She returned. Her statement matched my feelings exactly.

Eventually, I couldn't stop myself from glancing over my shoulder toward Draco, who sat at the table behind me. He was staring intently at me. It made me uncomfortable, and he had the strangest look in his eye: one of determination, slight disdain, and something else that I couldn't describe.

Many of the students had already reached the Common Room by the time we were finished. Hermione and Ron gone, Harry and I walked together to the Gryffindor dormitories while trying to deflect the glares and jeers thrown at us. "Ignore them Harry." I ordered, steering him away from a group of Slytherin seventh years who jabbed at us.

"What is their problem?" Harry spat.

I felt that it was wisest not to answer him. He was venting and didn't need a comment from me.

The portrait that guarded our House, normally called by her affectionate nick name "the Fat Lady," but who I knew as Lady Matilda, greeted us before Harry spoke the password. "Be warned, many in there aren't happy about you two."

"Thank you." I answered politely and braced myself as the door opened and we stepped into the cavernous room. Our housemates looked up as Harry and I walked in and we scanned the room wearily, wanting to get to our rooms unharmed.

A radio quietly told us of another made up news story and the volume in the room grew quieter as the boy beside me and I navigated the throngs of students crowding the room. Many held the Daily Prophet, including Seamus who peered at Harry. Dean smiled at us.

"How was your summer?" I asked, staring at the dark skinned boy and attempting to dispel the tension that surrounded us.

"Alright." Dean nodded. "Better than Seamus', anyway."

Seamus threw his paper down on the coffee table and stood up, confronting us. "Me mum didn't want me to come back this year."

"Why not?" Harry inquired calmly beside me. We both knew that the accusations were coming, and they wouldn't just be aimed at Harry.

"Let me see. Uh, because of you two." Seamus taunted. "The _Daily Prophet's _been saying a lot of things you both, Harry, and about Dumbledore as well."

Harry's calm attitude evaporated as he retorted. "What, your mum believes them?"

"Well, no one was there the night Cedric died."

"I guess you should read the _Prophet, _then, like your stupid mother. It will tell you everything you need to know." Harry snapped, stepping forward and voicing his hatred of the paper.

"Harry!" I cried, reflexively grabbing his arm to try and restrain him.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that! And you..." the Irish boy turned to me, making the argument personal.

Harry cut him off, stepping in between us. "Don't drag her into this, Seamus. This is between you and me."

"Ooh." Seamus mocked. Harry and I both wore identical masks of confusion. "I see how it is." I gathered what Seamus was implying quicker than the boy defending me did.

"We are not together Seamus. We're just friends." I asserted, moving beside Harry instead of behind him.

Harry, sensing that Seamus was leading him off topic, drew the conversation back on course and said, "I will have a go at anyone who calls us liars!"

Suddenly, Ron came to our aid. "What's going on?"

"He's mad, is what's going on. And his girlfriend is too." Seamus shot at me.

Harry tried to step in front of me again. I stopped him. "I can take care of myself." I whispered. I stood defensively, my hand itching for my wand. That meant I was very angry, but I didn't let anyone see it on my face.

"Do you believe the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who?" Seamus spat.

Ron took the empty place beside Harry, and Hermione suddenly appeared next to me. "We do." Hermione affirmed.

"Does anyone else have a problem with us?" Ron challenged. When no one else assaulted us, we strode up to our respective dormitories.

I collapsed on my bed and held my head in my hands. I wanted to throw something, or better yet, jinx it into oblivion. I ended up shredding my pillow and repairing it immediately, but not before Hermione and Ginny walked into the room and were assaulted by flying feathers. Hermione took the place next to me, causing my bed to creak loudly on account of its new occupant. She wrapped her arm around me and I leaned into her comforting hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I lied. They didn't buy it.

"I'm sure you are. The pillow just exploded on its own, right?" Ginny challenged. I was tempted to bite my lip before she sat down next to me.

"If you want to talk..." Hermione offered.

"What is there to talk about?" I fumed, shooting up from my seat. I composed myself after seeing their shocked expressions. "I'm fine, really. I'm just... tired." I said, containing my anger and annoyance as much as I could.

"Ok." Hermione answered, getting off of my bed and giving me space. I counted - one, two, three, one, two, three – over and over again to calm myself down.

My mother had always told me to contain my emotions, risking letting my gift slip if I didn't. If I didn't show that I had it, how could it be used against me or people I loved?

The calm one, I was always the mediator; the eye of the storm, so to speak. Sometimes it was real, but normally it was a well built facade: a nearly impenetrable and carefully constructed mask that I wore whenever I was in the middle of a confrontation, knowing the consequences if I didn't.

Seamus had come close to destroying my facade earlier, and I had wanted so much to take out my wand and do who-knows-what to him. If I had, my gift probably would have worked of its own accord, and healed him, along with anyone else in the room who had so much as a pimple. That instance was one of the many times my iron grip on my emotions had been tested. I had never lost it, but I knew that that could change at any time. I had to keep it together for everyone's safety, as well as mine. I sensed that the new teacher would considerably test me, and would be a problem, but I had to handle it and keep my powers a secret.

My sleep was light and troubled, the things I was mulling over keeping me half-awake the entire night, and I woke up tired and achy. It was exactly how I needed to be on my first day with a new teacher.

My roommates were all still asleep, the first shades of dawn barely appearing through the arched window. I felt safe enough to exercise the tiniest tangible bit of my powers. I slightly loosened control of it, and violet sparks seeped out of my fingers, slowly crawling across my skin and banishing the aches, pains, and lack of sleep from my body.

Satisfied that I was well and my roommates were none the wiser, I got dressed and quietly sneaked downstairs, instantly penning a letter to my mother and told her everything that had transpired since I had arrived at Hogwarts.

I found myself sitting with Hermione to the front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. One of the Patil twins folded a small paper airplane, the other enchanted it, transforming it into a bird; and sent it soaring across the room. Many of the students attempted to hit or catch the toy, until it suddenly caught fire and drifted down to Pavati's desk, red and smoldering.

We all looked behind us, disappointed and annoyed that our fun had been unceremoniously quashed. The nauseating witch, dressed in an unflattering mermaid style dress in a drab shade of orange and still wearing that deplorable pink wool sweater, stood by the outside door, a smug expression contorting her rectangular face.

"Good morning, children." She said sweetly, in no way trying to hide the contempt and condescension from her voice. She walked down one of the aisles, flicking her particularly short wand to and fro as words spelled on the board. Many of the students gaped at her disconcertingly. "Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. O-W-Ls. More commonly known as OWLs." She _carefully _emphasized the word "Ordinary." "Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe." She giggled again, and I felt bile rise in my throat.

She flicked her wand and a few enormous stacks of brand new books floated toward us. One of the books plopped in front of me and I glanced at the childish cover. _Dark Arts Defense, Basics for Beginners_ stared back at me. Hermione, always the bookish one, instantly flipped through the volume while I pushed mine disdainfully away. "Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic. Yes?"

Hermione had her hand raised, a bewildered look on her face. I began to grudgingly flip through my book. "There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?"

"Using spells?" Umbridge laughed. "Ha-ha! Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

"You aren't going to let us use magic?" I asked, astonished. Even a brain-washed Ministry woman as detestable as this couldn't possibly deny us the use of the very thing we were here to learn.

"You will be learning about defensive spells in the secure, risk-free way." The professor explained.

"What use is that?" Harry challenged. "If we're attacked, it won't be risk-free."

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class!" She ordered, silencing Harry.

"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge of defensive magic would be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which, after all, is what school is all about."

"But how is _theory_ going to prepare us for what's out there?" Harry retorted.

"There is nothing out there dear. Who do you imagine would want to harm children like yourselves, hm?"

"We won't always be children." I snapped. The teacher sent me a warning glare, but I didn't care.

Harry continued. "Oh I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort."

The room quieted and Umbridge stopped, obviously terrified. "Now, let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at large once again. This is a lie." She explained very slowly, at the end standing by Harry.

"It's not a lie. I saw him. I fought him." Harry exploded.

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" she answered turning away from Harry and nearing me. I took my chance.

"Then you believe Cedric Diggory died for no reason?"

The professor turned, not expecting to be attacked from two sides. "Cedric Diggory's death was but a tragic accident."

"It was murder!" I shouted.

"Voldemort killed him. You must know this!" Harry finished.

"Enough!" Umbridge screeched. I was almost completely sure that I had bought myself detention, but I wouldn't allow her to attack Harry without a defense on his side.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Braddock, seven thirty, my office." she giggled.


	6. Cat Lady's torture

**7/03/14**

**Hey, **

**I was able to get the chapter up today, yay, but probably from now on I will have to shoot for getting up a chapter every two weeks - I will still try to get one up by the ninth - until the end of the summer since I will be busy. **

**As always, thank you all for reading and Please Review, I am begging you.**

**Sophie.**

**P.S. The next chapter will be the long awaited Draco POV chapter. It will show this one from a different angle - and extend into the next day - and add some insight. **

Olivia POV

Chapter 5

I tried not to glare at the smug and vicious students who eyed me on the way to detention. They were among the ones who didn't believe a word of what my friend and I were maintaining, and even a few of them had the very old world mentality that females should be seen and not heard, and were disgusted that I had voiced my opinions. I shied away from them by taking a side corridor that would still get me to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom in time.

Because we had acquired the Muraders Map two years prior, I had learned the halls in the castle inside and out, eventually able to get anywhere in the castle from anywhere else, even Hogsmeade, by the fastest possible route. I only used the seven secret passages in emergencies. I wish I could have used one of them to get Harry and I out of our meeting with Umbridge, but I had more honor and pride than that.

In the same time that I had been taking to arrive at the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room, I was also looking for Harry, whom I hadn't seen since lunch before I went to my private healing class with Madame Pomfrey, and hoped to catch before Detention.

In one of the corridors, I ran into the boy I was searching for as he ran in my direction. "Hey, I was just looking for you." I said, automatically digging into the pocket of my robes where my wand rested unused, and more importantly, a small plain copper disk bounced around in the bottom.

At Ron's request, I had created another nightmare repelling charm for Harry after Harry had shot up out of a dream with a strange door, hundreds of fog filled globes, and what he described as the Dark Lord's almost skeletal hand. I shuddered when I thought about it, picturing it in my mind. I would want a charm too to stave off those kinds of dreams.

I placed the charm in Harry's outstretched hand and he thrust it instantly into his pocket, recognizing what it was. "Thanks." He turned away, but stopped mid motion, facing me again and cupping my cheek, kissing it lightly before resuming his trek to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. I stifled a blush and followed him.

Mews filled the fluffy, shockingly pink room that had been where I had healed and protected Harry from Barty Croutch Jr. who had been masquerading as my godfather the year before. The extreme overhaul of the office made me want to run to the girls' lavatory and vomit. I kept the disdain off of my face as Umbridge greeted us _cheerfully. _

"Hello Mr. Potter, Ms. Braddock." She stood up, dragging Harry and I to two desks she had situated in front of hers. "Today I want for you both to write some lines for me." This woman had something especially nasty in store for us if her punishment seemed as mundane as copy work. We sat, and dug our quills out of our bags. She stopped us by waving her hand and making our quills vanish from our grasps. "Not with your quills you foolish children." she reprimanded us. I gritted my teeth. "You will be using some very special ones of mine." She handed us each a flamboyant black quill. My instincts told me that there was nothing normal about our loaned writing instruments.

I turned my quill over in my hand. It didn't look out of the ordinary, but I cautiously stalled as long as I could, dreading discovering what nasty surprises the quill had yet to reveal. Umbridge noticed Harry doing the same. "You may start."

"What do you want us to write?" asked the boy beside me tiredly.

"I want you to write '_I must not tell lies_.'" she whispered close to our ears, bending down. The horrendous stench of way too much rose scented perfume wafted toward me and I gagged. Harry wrinkled his nose. Was there anything about this obnoxious woman to like?

"How many times?" Harry sighed, glancing at the woman and twirling his pen in his fingers.

"How about... as many as it takes for the message to sink in?" She replied cruelly, striding back over to her desk and plopping down on the overly plush chair. She gingerly picked up the cooling cup of tea that was waiting patiently for her and sipped its contents, sighing contentedly.

I looked away from her and turned my attention toward the paper laying on my desk and habitually dipped my pen in the ink well. The nib stabbed into the desk where the ink well should have been, but wasn't. I momentarily scanned the table top and came up empty handed. _What the heck does she expect us to write with; our own blood? _I though, aggravated. I looked up at the woman who adjusted various papers on her desk, her discarded teacup resting perfectly in its saucer on its immaculate tea tray. "You didn't give us any ink." I pointed out stubbornly.

She looked up at us innocently. "Oh, you won't need any ink." I saw the smallest smile flash across her face before it shifted back to the expressionless mask it always was and gestured for me to start before going back to her paperwork. I eyed her suspiciously and began to write.

As I spitefully scratched the words, I realized that they were not written in the standard black school ink, but in bright crimson. _No._ I thought, astonished. As soon as my left hand began to burn I knew what our punishment was. She was forcing us to write with a Blood Quill, a torture device that had been banned from use years before. How she had gotten a hold of them I had no idea, but she should have been thrown in Azkaban for her use of them. The Ministry had probably turned a blind eye to her methods.

As the words _I must not tell lies _etched themselves into my hand and Harry's, evidenced by our identical actions of cringing and rubbing our left hands; my gift tried to free itself from my control, fueled by the simultaneous hate I felt for Hogwarts' newest teacher and the sisterly love I had for the black haired boy who treated me like his. I struggled to contain it.

I continued to write, allowing the words to slice into the back of my hand as I battled with the healing gift that was at the same time a terrible curse. The teacher noticed my struggle and smirked, thinking that her quill was giving me more torment than she had anticipated. In a way it was; keeping me engaged in a tug of war between my unique magic and my feeble control over it that could have catastrophic consequences if I lost.

Harry cringed and I struggled as the words ceased to cut into our hands, the sentence neatly spelled out. The cat lady in pink came back over to us and stood between Harry and I, condescension practically dripping from her, as I tried to keep my painful internal war off of my face. "Is something wrong, dear?" she asked Harry sweetly, ignoring me; satisfied by whatever agony her torture tool was inflicting.

Harry shook his head and hid his injured hand under his robes. "No." He replied, the woman next to him terrifying him, but he attempted to hide it.

"That's right. Because you know, deep down, you both deserve to be punished." She answered quietly.

As the poisonous words fell from her too thin lips, I lost the battle and inwardly reeled from the pain as my magic snapped; dark magic mixing with light, injury with healing. Harry cried out when his hand started to burn again as mine did, and the bloody lines on our hands healed, but the dark half of the magic, fueled by Umbridge's torture, marring our hands with angry red marks sitting right where the slashes from the Blood Quills had been, and still spelling out what was written on our papers.

Umbridge, meanwhile, cried out and I saw out of the corner of my eye as she rotated her left hand back and forth that the words _I will not torture children _werebranding themselves into the soft flesh on the back of her small, pudgy hand, in a manner resembling what now disfigured ours.

She stood, shaken, and I struggled to stay up in my chair, my uncontrolled magical outburst draining me of strength in return for its use. This very unique gift I controlled – in reality, hid – always came with a price which was why I _rarely _used it. I was probably also paying the price for the minuscule part of the gift I'd used that morning. Umbridge said fearfully, "You are dismissed," opening the door and all but shewing us out.

Harry led me out of the room to safety. I couldn't even begin to speculate what explanations Ministry Woman was thinking up for what had happened the minute before. My spectacled friend helped me down the stairs and he stopped once we found a bench and we were able to sit down. Harry rubbed the marks that _I _had caused and stood up a second later. "What happened back there?" Harry demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, peering at him expressionlessly.

"Don't lie to me Olivia." He snapped. "I saw how you reacted back there. You know something about what caused _this," _Harry grasped my hand, laying it next to his and I yelped, "And the marks on Umbridge." I blinked. Harry had noticed them too. It appeared that I had a lot of explaining to do.

"Harry." I tried, another fib on my tongue.

He huffed and stared sternly at me. "No, tell me the truth."

I sighed, finally resolving to give my secret to the young man who was like a brother. "You must promise not to tell anyone, Harry. You have no idea how dangerous it could be if the Death Eaters knew." He nodded, waiting. I took a deep breath and continued. "I was born with a gift, separate from my normal magic, that can do things like that. It is set off by my emotions and I haven't the slightest idea how to really control it." I admitted ruefully, looking at my hands resting in my lap.

He stared at me, beginning to understand. "Is that why you never show any emotion?" He asked bluntly.

At any other time I would have balked at him, but today I just laughed lightly under my breath and replied, "Yes, Harry. You saw why I have to keep it hidden. It can be used to heal, but it can be used to harm just as easily."

"Why didn't you tell me, or any of us, before? We could have helped you." Harry assured. I sighed and smiled. Harry was always trying to protect the people he cared about, but he could also be rash and foolish, and this gift was too powerful.

"What could you have done, Harry? I already bog down my emotions as much as I can, and no one that I know has it and can teach me to control it. Besides, I don't any of you to get hurt because of me."

"Get hurt?" he exclaimed indignantly. I'd momentarily forgotten that he was the type to run head long into the fire.

"My gift always comes a price, Harry, and I usually pay it. It would kill me if that price were somehow transferred to any of you." I kept my voice level, and put up the calm facade I wore almost every day of my life, but inside I was panicking, trying to still the emotions that roiled and threatened to ignite another wave of my unpredictable magic.

"Which is why you were weak coming out of Umbridge's office." Harry deduced. I nodded calmly.

"I know you want to help me Harry, and I appreciate it. I really do. But this is something that I have to deal with on my own." I explained, keeping the brimming tears locked inside before standing up and walking away from him. He grabbed my hand, forcing me to halt and look at him.

"You will have to tell them some time." he indicated forcefully.

"No, I won't." I answered, rebellion in my tone, and walked down the hall to Gryfindor Tower, leaving Harry standing outside the classroom, completely aghast that I had a power so dangerous.

I continued on my way, and heard someone call my name when I reached the exact spot where I had given Harry the dream charm the hour before. I turned and peered down the corridor, finally spotting the pale blond hair that belonged to Draco Malfoy. _Oh great. _He was about the last person I wanted to see right now, I was still furious about what had said when we got off the train, but I couldn't let that emotion take hold again.

_Don't let it show, _my inner voice, the same one who tried to persuade me on the train that Draco had moved on, advised. I pushed it down and shut it back in its box. What was the point of keeping it concealed? He already knew. He had known since before Hogwarts, when I lost control of it and healed us both when we fell from a tree.

In spite of it all, I sighed and put up my facade once more. Even though I was angry with him, I didn't want to accidentally murder him. Keeping my emotions inside where they couldn't harm anyone was hard enough at the moment, I didn't need to increase them by snapping at Draco. After all, we had been friends once, long ago, and I still kept those feelings and memories stashed safely in my heart. They were among the many I pulled on when I wanted to use the light side of my gift to heal.

His angular face was contorted by a look of anger and disgust, mixed with the something along the lines of the same emotion that I had seen at the Start of Year Feast. He stalked over to me, looking like he was about to kill somebody.

"What is bothering you, Draco?" I snapped, scowling at him and giving him my enraged emerald green stare.

"You..." He started, the emotions he was displaying transforming his face into one that I didn't know. He seemed to be letting his emotions control him to the point that he couldn't complete sentences.

While trying to speak to me and answer my question, his eyes fell on something that caused his expression to shift into something – although decidedly different – that I hadn't seen in him since we were kids. He pulled up my injured left hand and stared at the lines crisscrossing it. I could see the wheels turning in his head. "You..." His tone changed from one of malice to almost... concern.

"Just spit it out already." I demanded, annoyed and exhausted. I wanted to get into my own bed and sleep off my ordeal and replenish the strength that my gift had stolen from me.

He made eye contact with me, his light gray eyes hinting at so many feelings still too well hidden for me to decipher that left me confused and nearly scared. Something stopped him from saying anything, and a foreign emotion passed over his face before he just walked away without another word.

_What just happened? _I nearly reprimanded myself for being mad at him in the first place, but he still had much to answer for.

When I finally got to the Common Room, I didn't retire right away. Too scared to sleep, I took out a piece of parchment, and, with a quill that _wouldn't _write in my own blood, wrote a very short note to my mother, one that I would send to her at the next possible opportunity. My newly found fear was transferred to my scrawl, causing it to lose its usual elegance and degrade into a shaky, nearly incoherent script.

_I lost control. What do I do?_


End file.
